Connecting Customers and Service Providers: A Procurement Software Solution for California

The TradePro Connect project conducted both a scaled demonstration and the deployment of an online procurement and energy service platform to spur the installation of distributed energy resources and energy management technologies. This project could ultimately drive widespread penetration of distributed energy resources in California and help meet the state’s aggressive goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Known barriers to procurement exist for customers and service providers are exacerbated by distributed energy resources and energy management technologies that require advanced knowledge and training. TradePro Connect was developed to reduce such barriers and result in more demand-side projects leading to lower project costs, more projects in underserved markets, increased safety, and greater reliability. The project achieved some of its goals, resulting in expanded understanding of the distributed energy resource program landscape and service provider business drivers. TradePro Connect implemented two distributed energy resource programs, enrolled 83 service providers, and completed 28 projects. However, known barriers proved difficult to overcome and new barriers emerged during the project execution related to program development, platform functionality, and service provider engagement. Key lessons learned include: focus on first-use case before scaling; be aware of interactions when growing both customer bases and service providers; focus on plug-and-play products rather than customized services; offer a compelling value proposition to engage service providers; consider contractor risk tolerance, which varies by project type; and use an upstream approach to access and engage contractor networks. The project identified specific factors and interactions that can inform future efforts to increase penetration of distributed energy resources.